Tag: firefighter

This song is in memory of 35-year-old firefighter Dennis Rodeman, who was involved in a fatal hit and run collision on September 9th in Lansing, Michigan. A 22-year old deranged man named Grant Taylor deliberately ran him over because he was angry at the firefighter for collecting donations and holding up traffic. He threw an apple core at the firefighters who were also participating in the “Fill the Boot” campaign and sped off. After the firefighters got mad at the 22-year old for throwing the apple core, he turned back and obliterated Rodeman with his vehicle.

Taylor was charged with murder and fleeing a crime scene. I was there on Jolly and Cedar just hours before Rodeman was killed, going to the plasma center around the corner where he was standing. I found out about the accident on television about an hour after I was at home in Jackson. Rodeman was collecting donations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and International Association of Firefighters. He later died at a hospital, leaving behind his wife who was pregnant. This story is still relevant on my local news and elsewhere, more details being picked up, such as the apple core tonight.

Money is being raised for the firefighter’s family with a GoFundMe account. Over $125,000 and counting. You can click on the link and donate money yourself for his family. I’m not personally asking you to donate, but it would be a nice gesture to help some people in need. It would help pay for funeral and burial costs.

There are no cliffhangers for this story. An innocent man, a wonderful brave man who served in the Marines and in Iraq, is dead for no good reason and his funeral is to be held this week. The only good thing is the killer was caught and eventually will be put in prison or at least a mental institution because of his recent psychiatric problems.

I can’t believe I saw the man for the final time before his fateful ending. I wondered what he was doing, standing in the street with a boot. If I was on that street corner a few hours later, I would have witnessed Rodeman’s horrifying accident and this post would look a little different. Maybe not with pictures, but with more vivid first-hand detail.

Rodeman’s family and friends are together and mourning his loss. His death became not just local news but national news as well, the story being listed as a “popular” link on Bing and other search engines. He went out a hero and his story is an inspiration to many.